Tag Archive for: community

City National Bank continues its partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam this month as several employees gave up their Saturday to help a Habitat homebuyer build their home. Fourteen team members from City National signed up for a group volunteer build day, and each spent their Saturday working indoors painting a house that is nearly complete. City National employees have made hands-on contributions a regular part of their support, logging dozens of hours at the bustling construction site in Kanawha County.

“…it just shows their high-level commitment in helping us create a better community.”

“City [National Bank] employees don’t just work in the communities they serve,” Habitat Development Director William Andreas said in a statement about the volunteers. “They are very organized, and when all the employee volunteers show up on a snowy morning it just shows their high-level commitment in helping us create a better community.”

City National became a long-term Habitat partner in 2004 with a $100,000 four-year pledge gift. That money was put towards Habitat’s campaign “Hammering in the Hills.” That campaign helped to build the North Hills Drive Housing Division in Charleston. Upon the fulfillment of that pledge, City National Bank followed up with two additional donations benefiting the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and ongoing construction jobs in Kanawha and Putnam counties.

Recently, City National Bank became a “Thank God It’s Friday Builders Club” (TGIF) sponsor. This type of partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam entitles City National employees that come out to volunteer on a one-day construction project several benefits such as on-site lunch, branded clothing and more.

Over the last two years, City National Bank has also been a major sponsor of Habitat’s largest annual fundraiser, “A Taste of … in Charleston.” Just this year, Craig Stillwell, the Executive Vice President of City National Bank, joined Habitat for Humanity’s Board of Directors.

“This year they even took their support a step further…”

“City National Bank has been a consistent donor to the work we do in the area,” said Shawn Means, Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam’s Executive Director. “This year they even took their support a step further and are coming out twice to help build. We got a major donation from the bank to put towards their second build.”

About Team Builds

There is no donation required to organize or take part in a Team Build. By participating with Habitat for Humanity for a Team Build, your team will play an important role in helping to break the cycle of poverty, strengthening our community, and building a brighter future for a local family. Your team members and company will also be featured on our website and social media platforms. Read more about Team Build Days here: http://hfhkp.org/team-build

To schedule your team build day, click here to see what dates are available. We schedule and track our volunteers through Volunteer Hub, guiding you and your group through the process signing up and getting organized. However, if you need assistance setting up your build, contact our Development Director, William Andreas, at 304-720-0141 ext. 16 or by email at wandreas@hfhkp.org.

Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam has a vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. We believe in this vision because we know shelter is about more than four walls and a roof. A safe, secure, adequate, affordable home changes lives. A home helps people stay healthier. Having a place to call home helps children do better in school. A home helps people feel safe and secure. A home helps families achieve financial stability and reach for new opportunities. A home helps break the relentless cycle of poverty.

Habitat works toward our vision in multiple ways. We help people build homes and provide homeowner education, financial literacy training and construction training. By partnering with families, we are empowering communities. We work to mobilize volunteers and supporters, engage corporations, foundations, governments, churches and faith groups to get involved.

Your Donations at Work

At this very moment in Kanawha and Putnam counties, Habitat volunteers, supporters and families are building homes, communities and hope. We have helped hundreds of people afford a decent home. What we are really building is a world every family and every child has a chance for a better tomorrow.

This is where you come in! Help us build that world. We invite you make an investment into your community.

In November, we have three days for getting deals – Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Now, there is another day gaining momentum: Giving Tuesday – a day for giving back.

On Tuesday, November 28, 2017, charities, families, businesses, and people around the country come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.

Giving Tuesday was started in a YMCA in New York six years ago. Today, it has evolved into a global movement that encourages people to give back monetarily and with their time. The day falls after several days of indulgence, including: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. On Giving Tuesday, you are encouraged to donate money to your favorite charities and organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. You can also donate goods, like building supplies and furniture – to the ReStore in Charleston and in Teays Valley.

Giving Tuesday is meant to remind people to share their bounty with folks who might not have a decent, affordable place to call home. Event organizers are encouraging people to spend the next month worrying less about what is on their personal Christmas lists and more time encouraging and amplifying small acts of kindness.

Shawn Means, executive director at Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam says that Giving Tuesday is an ideal way for families and individuals to shift their focus from the “commercialized,” sometimes-stressful shopping experiences of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to community members who are in true need of a helping hand.

“That is what this world needs,” Means added. “The world needs people who can wake up and see the people out there who are in need of help. We all need to think about other people.”

Help us help West Virginia

Please, join us on Giving Tuesday and help us help our community. Donations to Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha & Putnam can be deducted off business and personal taxes when 2018 rolls around.

We’re working with a couple right now to give them a hand up and get them Home By Autumn.

The couple and their children live in an unsafe part of town in an overcrowded apartment. The building is not a safe haven for kids. There is consistent foot and car traffic outside the main entrance. The family was beginning to lose hope of finding an affordable home after years of bouncing around in small, expensive and problem-ridden apartments.

“I was tired of renting things that would never be mine. It’s difficult and tiring to have to move all of the time.”

Then, one conversation changed the family’s life. They were told about Habitat for Humanity from friends that had attended our regular open-house events. The couple researched the requirements, put in an application and are now approved to earn and own a home of their own.

Both parents tell us that they are proud to be able to provide their family with a more stable environment. “The entire family is excited! My kids don’t have to worry about moving every year or six months when the lease on our apartment ends.”

All of the family members have been working hard to earn their 500 hours of “sweat equity.” As with all of our future homeowners, the family must work towards owning their home before we offer them a zero-interest mortgage. They do this by volunteering on construction crews, working in our ReStores in Charleston and Teays Valley, and volunteering in our administrative office. The kids even get involved by making artwork for our construction volunteers.

Now, it’s almost time for them to have a home to call their own, but construction isn’t done yet.

This is where you come in! As they embark on their final steps toward a move in date, we invite you to help them by donating to the completion of their home.

Join us now by giving to our first Home By Autumn campaign.

Many of us find a piece of used furniture that speaks to us, but it may not match the décor in our homes. That is where Rich “The Refurburator” Chapman comes in. Chapman owns “Refurburator” in Kanawha City. His store offers custom furniture painting, interior design, chalk paint classes and estate sales. He also enjoys giving back to his community by volunteering.

“I have always known how Habitat helps people in the community with housing and home education,” Chapman says. “This is my way of helping too.”

Saturday, July 22 marks the third class Chapman has taught in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Eleven participants from Kanawha and Putnam counties signed up to learn how to take old furniture, such as tables and chairs, and give it new life. The class members worked with Dixie Belle chalk paint and a special finishing wax over the course of three hours to completely transform their pieces.

Chapman insists that every old chair, table and wardrobe can be made new again, saying, “a great way to keep these items out of the landfill is to repurpose them into something more useful.”

The chalk paint that class members used is very forgiving, according to Chapman. A lot of times he uses it to create an aged appearance on pieces he sells from his shop, saying the paint can be distressed with little effort. As for how long the class member’s renewed furniture will last, Chapman says that under normal conditions, if it is waxed, it will last for years. “That’s what I like about Dixie Belle paints. They last for a really long time, unlike latex paints that can chip and peel if you put something like a lamp on them.”

Chapman plans to host more classes at Habitat for Humanity’s community center in the future. Whatever your skill level, the projects his classes take on are a perfect match for anyone — from a novice do-it-yourselfer to an expert crafter.

If you’re interested in checking out Chapman’s “Refurburator” store, it is located at 3706 MacCorkle Avenue, SE, in Kanawha City.

Habitat Stories

Non-Proselytizing Policy

Habitat for Humanity Non-Proselytizing Policy Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliated organizations (HFH) will not proselytize. Nor will HFH work with entities or individuals who insist on proselytizing as part of their work with HFH. This means that HFH will not offer assistance on the expressed or implied condition that people must (i) adhere to or convert to a particular faith or (ii) listen and respond to messaging designed to induce conversion to a particular faith.